Something Worth Knowing
by BlackLagoon01
Summary: Lili is in love. That shouldn't seems so out of the ordinary. People fall in love every day, don't they? But the thing is, it's Elizaveta. Beautiful, unattainable Elizaveta, who belongs with Gilbert. The choice is simple: confess and lose a friend, or remain silent and lose her anyway. HunStein yuri.
1. A Penny For Your Thoughts

Vash's good-mornings were never friendly ones. If Lili said nothing at all in the morning, he would simply grunt as she passed him. That suited her well on this particular morning. She didn't want to talk, and if she did talk, then Vash probably wouldn't listen. Or care. Or accept it. Vash wasn't the most accepting person, after all…

So it was that Lili slipped out of the house, with the only words that had passed between the two being "See you later." She glanced back at the door as it closed behind her, but if there was anything left to be said, she'd say it when she got home. She'd be happier then… hopefully.

Her bag seemed to pull down on her shoulders as she reached Cecil Gershwin Memorial High. The sign looming above the doors looked like a death sentence. She did not want to go in… not today. If she went in, she'd be subject to Elizaveta. Elizaveta with the perfect hair and the perfect smile. Elizaveta who was with Gilbert, and casually mentioned him any time she wasn't raving about this recipe or that album. Elizaveta who was strong of body but weak of heart. Lili adjusted her bag and pushed the door open, mentally preparing herself for what was to come.

Her feet seemed rooted where they were, right in front of her locker. She wished she could just stay there, away from the crowd that was swelling in the cafeteria. Of course, it'd look a bit strange if she just stood there alone, so she swung her locker door closed and walked, with shaking feet, to the place where Elizaveta was. The place where Gilbert was. The last place that she wanted to be.

Gil was standing there, alone, throwing glances to all sides of the cafeteria. His red eyes fell on Lili, and she jumped slightly. If she could, she would have hidden with the group of five students huddled around a nearby table, but they were mostly upperclassmen. They didn't seem as though they'd be welcoming, either: One of them was yelling at the rest about why Legos were a blessing sent from the gods. Another one, dressed head-to-toe in purple, was whispering "Shut up" on a continuous loop. _They'd be better company than Gil,_ Lili thought. _But Gil's easier to talk to. I mean, listen to._

"I'm telling you, Legos are too perfect for man to have invented them on his own. There _must_ have been some kind of godly intervention."

"Mathias, for the last time, please shut up."

"Why would I do something like that? There's still so much more to be said!" the loud blond that was Mathias stood up, spread his arms, nearly hitting Lili's face, and hollered, "Legos are the work of— mph!"

The Purple One's hand was clamped over his mouth. "Nobody cares."

Lili didn't stick around to see what would happen. She had the suspicion that the blond one would yell again, and she didn't want to be anywhere close when that happened.

Gilbert smirked as soon as he noticed she was coming his way. His smirk made her stomach twist, and her mood darkened a bit more than it already had. She had no reason to resent him. She told herself this as she neared him, with his red eyes and arrogant smile. She had no reason to resent him, but she did all the same.

"Lili! Long time, no see!" He raised a pallid hand to wave.

"Yeah…" She wracked her brain for something to say. "It's only been since yesterday, though. It's not really that long a time…" She trailed off. "Sorry."

His grin grew. "Well, it certainly felt like it. Have you seen Liz?"

"Liz… I'm afraid I haven't seen her."

Gil's smile disappeared, and his red eyes flashed. "Are you sure about that?" He took a step forward and lowered his face so it was just inches away from Lili's.

"I-I'm sure! I promise!"

He backed away, putting his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "I believe you."

Lili scowled. "Why are you so desperate to know where she is, anyway? You see her every day."

"Well, this time it's important. I have something I need to tell her."

"Let me guess: You're going to tell her you love her."

His jaw dropped. "Who told you that? I swear, if Ludwig ratted me out…"

"Wait, you're serious? You told her that yesterday. Several times, actually. And the day before that, and the day before that… It's really not that urgent, when you think about it." As she said this, she noticed Elizaveta making her way over to them.

"Oh, will you just shut the fuck up? I swear, every time you open your mouth, you get even more—"

"Good morning, Gilbert!"

He spun around, red-faced and guilty, to face his girlfriend. "Hey, Liz. I missed you."

She laughed. "It's only been a day, you know." She craned her neck to see Lili, who had stepped behind Gilbert. "Hey, Lili!"

"Hey… You know, I was just leaving. There's this book that I had on hold in the library, and I want to see if it's there yet."

Elizaveta's face fell. "Well, I'll see you later then?"

She shrugged. "Maybe. I'm not sure."

As she spun on her heel to retreat, Gil called after her: "You know, there's a party at Alfred's this Friday. You should come."

She pretended not to hear, and kept walking. She nearly walked into a tall blonde, who she hadn't realized had been staring at her the entire time.

"You don't like it either, so you?"

She took a step back. He looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't quite place why. "Don't like what?"

The blonde simply nodded in the direction of Gilbert and Elizaveta. Gil's arm was around Liz's waist, and he was whispering something in her ear. She seemed to be laughing. Lili hesitated, not sure if she should trust this almost-stranger. "Well… not really. I don't like him."

He laughed. "I'd be careful if I were you. That's my brother you're talking about, you know."

"Oh.. I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound like that, it's just…"

"Don't worry about it. I know what you mean… Gilbert's a bit of a bastard, if I do say so myself. I can't believe I'm even related to him sometimes."

Lili shook her head, a little baffled. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I got your name."

"It's Ludwig."

"Ah. That'd explain…" She adopted Gil's accent. "I swear, if Ludwig ratted me out…!"

"It certainly would. I overheard the whole thing. It's Lili, right?"

She nodded. "Lili Vogel. I didn't know that Gil had a brother."

"Well, he probably doesn't, either. We don't live together… it's a difficult situation."

"Say no more. I understand."

He sighed in relief. "Thanks." They stood for a while, not quite sure what to say. "Didn't you have a book that you wanted to pick up?"

"Oh, that? No, I just needed an excuse to get away. I'd rather not be around them while they're…" She glanced back at Gil and Liz. They were currently engaged in a passionate lip-lock. "...doing that."

"Well, if you ever need somebody to talk to, I'm here."

"You know, I might just take you up on that." She pulled out her phone. "What's your number?"

He rattled off the digits while, unbeknownst to him, a small figure crept up behind him.

" Thanks." Lili tucked her phone back in her bag just as the figure chose to strike.

"Ludwig!"

The owner of the name nearly fell over. "F-feliciano… it's nice to see that you're wide awake this morning."

"Si, when am I not? Wait, don't answer that. I mean, you've been around when I'm asleep. You know, you're really cute when you're sleeping. Did I ever tell you that?"

Ludwig carefully removed Feliciano's arms from around his neck. "Yes."

"Good, I thought so. Because it's true. I mean, you're cute while you're awake, too, but when you're sleeping and you're not yelling at me, it's really nice."

Lili backed away slowly as the boy continued to chatter in an Italian accent so thick, it was a wonder Ludwig could even understand him. "Well, it was nice to meet you."

This got the Italian's attention. "Ooh, who are you? You're friends with Gil, aren't you? You don't look like you'd be friends with Gil, but I see you with him all the time and I was beginning to wonder."

She furrowed her brow. "I'm Lili. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you, too!" He grabbed Lili's hand and brought it up to his lips while she watched in horror. "I'm Feliciano. It looks like you've already met my boyfriend."

"Y-yes, I think I have."

Ludwig smiled and shrugged helplessly. "Sorry, I guess I forgot to tell you that."

"No, it's fine."

To mark the end of the morning, the bell sounded and the cafeteria became a writhing chaos of students making their way to first period. She couldn't hear what Ludwig said over the noise, but he raised his hand as if to say, "I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

Thus begins my attempt at getting back on the horse!


	2. A Nickel For Your Secrets

The cycle repeated itself again the next morning: Grunted goodbyes, a lonely walk to school, dreading the arrival of Elizaveta.

It wasn't always like that, Lili thought. There was a time when Liz had been her best friend. They had spent the night at each other's houses countless times, laughing and talking and gossipping, just like everybody else. Then… something changed. Something that seemed small at the time, but grew inexplicably larger every time it happened. Lili started to say no. First to a camping trip with some of Liz's other friends, including Roderich and Gil, then to tagging along as a plus-one on Elizaveta's dates, and then, finally, to sleepovers. It got easier and easier every time, and she never paused to wish she had said "yes" until it was too late. She had not seen the inside of Elizaveta's home for two years now. She missed the warm, spiced smell that embraced her as soon as the door opened. She missed the overstuffed furniture, and she missed the late nights, lying side by side, talking for hours on end about nothing at all. She missed Elizaveta. She missed home.

The cafeteria held no hints of home, though. Gilbert stood in the same spot, waiting for Lili and Liz, his red eyes scanning the room. His foot tapped against the floor.

"Lili." something tapped her shoulder, and she jumped, spinning to face her attacker. "It's just me." Two bright blue eyes smiled down at her.

"Ludwig… Hi. I was just…" She glanced back at Gil, looking for something to say. "Waiting for Elizaveta. She didn't respond to any of my messages last night."

"Well, maybe she was with Gil."

This earned an exasperated sigh from Lili. "Isn't she always…"

The red eyes fell on the pair, and before they knew it, Gilbert had made his way over. He looked just about ready to shoot something. "Have either of you seen Liz?"

The pair shook their heads. "Not since yesterday. Why?"

"We have business to settle," he growled. "Look, just forget it." He sauntered away, just in time for the bell to ring. Ludwig bade her good-bye, but not before offering her a ride to Alfred's party. She accepted graciously, and Ludwig left to find Feliciano. The day went on as usual, except for the small fact that Elizaveta was gone.

* * *

The house was empty when Lili arrived, just like it always was. Vash was still working, so she had a few hours of precious quiet before he came home. Just like every other Friday, though, she knew that he would only turn around and leave for Roderich's house for their weekly ritual of drinks, dinner, and something that Vash called "alone time" despite the fact that he had explained the birds and bees to Lili years ago.

Until he came home, though, she was alone. She dropped her bag on the couch and retrieved her phone, retreating to her room. Ludwig's number was still in the contacts, although she had only had time to type in "L" before the bell had rung. She hurriedly completed the name and called the number.

"Hey."

"Hey, Ludwig. It's Lili."

"Hello! Was there something you needed?"

She swallowed. "Well… yes. Yes and no. You're… dating Feliciano, right?"

"Mm-hm. For about a year now, actually."

"So that would mean that you're… um…"

A sigh was heard on the other line. "Gay, yes."

"Well, how did you _know?_ I mean, was it just something you noticed, or was it Feliciano, or… what? How?"

"It wasn't that simple, you know. There wasn't a specific moment where I knew, just like that, but I had a lot of help from Feliciano."

"And how did you two start dating?"

"We were close friends since we were kids. Our grandfathers were friends, so you might say we were friends out of convenience… when I first told him what I was thinking, it turned out he was going through almost the same thing. I never really thought we'd end up in a relationship until… well, that's another story."

"Tell it, then."

"It's not that important, you know. I'm not even sure I remember most of it."

"Then tell me what you _do_ remember." Lili didn't notice how badly her hands were shaking.

"Fine, fine. Somebody's certainly pushy."

"Well, I need to know."

"And may I ask why?"

"Because I… no, no you may not."

"Very well. We were watching a movie, and he was hugging my arm. That was just something he did to everyone, and he still does it sometimes today."

"Go on."

"He sighed, and I looked over at him… then he kissed my cheek. Neither of us said anything until the movie was over, but we talked a bit afterwards, and we just agreed…"

"Agreed about what?"

"A few different things. That we liked each other, that we had for a while, that we should be together…"

"Oh. I see."

"So are you going to tell me why you're so desperate to know?"

"It's nothing!"

"You know you can tell me anything about this. I'm not exactly in the position to judge at the moment. You're questioning, aren't you?"

"No! It's nothing like that! I mean, not entirely…" Images flashed before Lili's vision. Fantasies, memories, words. Brief hugs. Hands wiping tears away. Elizaveta's smile. "Maybe. But that means nothing. It means..." Elizaveta with her arms around Gil. "Nothing."

"Are you sure about that? From where I stand, you sound pretty bothered."

"W-well…" Tears started to form. "Maybe I am. I can't do anything about it, though." They rolled down her cheeks. "I can't change it. She's never going to l-look at me like she looks at Gil... it won't happen."

The silence from Ludwig's end of the line was thick. Listening to it felt like waiting for a boulder to fall down a mountain… the one boulder that would trigger the landslide. "It's… Elizaveta?"

She tried to take in enough breath to say "yes", but it was released as a sob before she could get the word out.

"Lili…"

"Please don't say anything else. I know it's h-hopeless. Besides…" She laughed, and the bitter sound startled her. "What would Vash say if he found out?"

"Well, I meant to ask… do you still need a ride tonight?"

She hesitated for a moment, and hurriedly wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "Yeah… I'm not sure if I still want to go, though."

"Because of this?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, it could still be fun. You could stick with me and Feliciano, and we can watch our drunk classmates make asses out of themselves. Does that sound good?"

"Well, when you put it like that… yeah. What time can you be here?"

"I was thinking eight."

"That works. And Ludwig… thank you."

"There's nothing to thank me for. But nonetheless, you can call me whenever you need to talk. It's not a problem."

"Well, thank..." She glanced at her screen. Ludwig had already hung up. "...you." She stood up on shaking legs and made her way back to the kitchen to fix herself a sandwich. She contemplated the bottle of whiskey that Vash kept on top of the fridge, and glanced at the shot glasses in the cabinet. Maybe… maybe she could forget, if she tried hard enough. It would be easy. But no, that was illegal. She was underage, and if Vash came home to find the bottle open on the counter and Lili a giggling (or cursing) mess next to it, there would be consequences.

Her train of thought was cut off by her phone again. Elizaveta was calling. She stood up a bit straighter and swallowed, bringing the phone up to her ear. "Hello?"

"Lili. I just wanted to let you know that I won't be coming tonight…"

"What? Why not?"

"Look, I can't explain it right now. I just can't."

"Liz, that's not a good answer. You know, you haven't even told me why you didn't show up today."

"I can't explain that, either. I promise I will sometime, but just trust me for now."

"How can I do that? We've barely had a decent conversation in almost a year. I don't know anything about you anymore, aside from the fact that you're practically glued to Gil all the time. Why can't…" She hadn't quite recovered from her earlier outburst yet, and the sobs were starting to come back. "Why can't we just go back to how things were? I hate him, Liz. I hate him so much…" What was she saying? Stop. "I don't even know why you're with him in the first place."

"Lili…"

Her name on Liz's lips. That had to be the one thing she was powerless against. "I'm sorry."

"No, don't be. I'll… I'll come tonight. But on one condition."

"And what's that?"

"I'll tell you when we get there. Please just trust me until then. I know that's a lot to ask for, but please. I'll tell you everything."

There were so many ways to respond: "I don't believe you." "You don't listen to me, so why should I listen to you?" "Of course you're coming. Gil's going to be there." "I love you." But none of them were right. None of them would make Liz happy. She settled with one word, the word that could settle any argument. The word that said everything while meaning next to nothing.

"Fine."


	3. A Dime For Your Agreement

Lili recognized the one who opened the door for her and Ludwig almost immediately: It was the one with the ridiculous hair, who had delivered the grand speech about Legos the day before.

"Hello, Mathias."

His eyebrows shot up. "Well then… you know my name. It'd seem Alfred invited a little stalker." He opened the door wider to let them pass. "Just don't go looking through my criminal record. It's not nearly as pretty as I am."

Lili and Ludwig only nodded politely and made their way to the living room, where Feliciano was waiting on the couch, trying not to pay attention to the two Asian exchange students making out on the cushion next to him. He stood and hugged Ludwig. "You know, Gilbert said this would be fun, but so far the only fun thing I've seen is Francis singing the Russian national anthem. He's still doing it, too." The three of them turned their gazes to the far side of the living room, where Francis was singing his heart out between gulps of wine. Ivan stood behind him, grinning sweetly.

"Do you see that, Lili?" asked Ludwig.

"I think I do…"

"That's what it looks like to sell your soul to Satan. I'd advise you to never learn that song."

She nodded. "Got it." But her mind was on other things. She had not even caught a glance of Elizaveta yet. Or Gil, now that she thought about it. Thinking that she would ask where she had gone, she pulled out her phone, but she saw that Elizaveta had already sent her a message. "Upstairs, in the linen closet." How cryptic. She excused herself from Ludwig and Feli, who were now cheering on Francis. He was still singing, despite the fact that Ivan looked like he might consider groping Francis's ass. This, she decided, was not her scene.

The upstairs hallway was nearly pitch-black. She couldn't find a light switch anywhere, and for all she could tell, the hall stretched on forever. She could have tried random doors for ages and not find the linen closet, but eventually, she saw a blinking light that illuminated the crack under one of the doors. She found the knob and swung it open to reveal one of the biggest linen closets that she had ever seen. Elizaveta was curled up on the floor. She stood, and without a word, she pulled Lili inside and shut the door again. "Liz—"

"Sh." The closet was smaller on the inside than it had seemed to be when Lili was on the outside, looking in.

"Where were you today?"

"There's no time for that." In the dark of the closet, Lili could only sense Elizaveta's closeness. She wished she could see her face.

"There's plenty of time! You just disappeared. Were you sick?"

"You might say that." She sounded sick.

"Well, are you going to tell me what it was or not?"

Elizaveta's voice dropped to a harsh whisper. "Gil tried to force me into something last night. I didn't want to do it, and he tried to pressure me into it, so I broke things off between us."

"Oh…" Her mind went wild, trying to imagine it. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not. But the thing is, he's here. And if he's here, I don't know what he's going to do. That's where you come in."

"Really… wait. What do you want _me_ to do? Is this about that condition you were telling me about?"

"This has everything to do with that condition. I need your help, Lili, that's the only way I'll be able to get out of this house unscathed."

Lili imagined her friend's pretty eyes wide and desperate, maybe even teary. "What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend, at least when Gil's around. If he thinks I'm with somebody else, then he'll leave me alone."

Lili didn't say anything for a while. Being asked to pretend Elizaveta was more than a friend was like… well, asking somebody to _pretend_ that they were a human. But still, it didn't add up. "But I'm a girl. And Gil already knows that you're my best friend. Why not ask some random guy?"

"Because… it's not going to be as awkward if it's you. You're the only one I can really talk to right now. Just do me this one favor?"

"I'll do it. It's just until we can get you out, right? I can ask Ludwig for a ride home."

She heard Elizaveta drawing breath to answer, but she was cut off by the sound of footsteps. They were accompanied by a voice:

"Liz? Where the hell did you go?" It was Gil, and he didn't sound happy.

"We can start now," Liz whispered. Before Lili had a chance to ask what she meant, there was a hand on the back of her neck and Elizaveta's forehead was resting against her own.

"Elizaveta, what—"

"Shh. He'll hear you." as soon as the last word left her lips, they brushed against Lili's. With only a moment of hesitation, they were pressed together, and Elizaveta's arms were around her waist. Lili felt her eyelids fluttering closed, with only one dim thought breaking through the layer of shock covering her mind: _She's kissing me._ It took every ounce of determination to stay upright, instead of collapsing, either backwards or against Elizaveta. Either one would likely knock Liz over, too, and to hurt her was the last thing Lili wanted. But at least the kiss would be over.

She had imagined this happening so many times, wondering what those lips felt like. Wondering what the hands would feel like, resting on the small of her back. But she only dared to think these thoughts when she was half-asleep, or dreaming. Yes, only in sleep and dreams was Elizaveta hers. But she was wide awake now, so she knew none of this was real.

Because in the waking hours, whether either of the girls liked it or not, Liz belonged to Gilbert Beilschmidt. That much was made clear the moment the closet door opened, a sharp gasp was heard, and a rough hand grabbed Liz's shoulder and yanked her away from Lili. "You filthy little liar."

Liz glared at him and struggled to pull away, but Gil only let go to take hold of her forearm. "I hardly see how I'm lying. I told you last night, I'm done with this."

"We both know that's not true. What are you trying to prove by making out with that,"— He jerked his head towards Lili, who was still standing in a daze— "Anyway?"

"I'm trying to prove that I can do better than you. _She_ doesn't try to force herself on me if I disagree with her over something stupid. _She's_ willing to talk. _She…_ " Liz looked back at her friend, with her eyes full of tears, apology, and something else that Lili couldn't quite identify. Her next sentence was only a murmur. "She's everything I could ever want."

Gilbert could do nothing but gape. "So you're serious."

"So I'm dead serious. I'd appreciate it if you didn't touch me anymore." The hand dropped her arm, but it didn't fall to Gil's side. Instead, it was brought across Elizaveta's face with a sickening _thwack._ He then turned away and disappeared down the hallway. They stood like that for a few moments: Lili frozen, still standing in the linen closet, and Liz standing in the doorway, facing away from her. "You know…" Lili began. "I know that you used to be into theater, but that was the best acting I've ever seen."

Liz spun around and grabbed Lili's wrist, pulling her out of the closet. "Anything to get him off of my case. We should go."

"Ludwig can give us a ride…" Liz pulled her down the hall and down the stairs leading to the living room.

"Then ask him. I just need to leave." But a sudden presence brought her to a halt.

"You're not going anywhere." In the few moments before the girls had made their way downstairs, Gilbert had secured one of the guns that Alfred kept in his cabinet. "You wouldn't like me to use this, would you? You're staying here."

Liz's grip on Lili's wrist tightened. "Over my dead body. I'd hate for my girlfriend to go home alone. It wouldn't be the ladylike thing to do, you know?"

Gil opened his mouth to say something, but Lili didn't hear what it was. Ludwig, her savior, had appeared at the far side of the room, and he seemed to be alone. "Ludwig! Can I ask a favor?"

In a matter of seconds, he had made his way across the room. "What is it?" His eyes fell on the shotgun, barely concealed at Gilbert's side, and his eyes narrowed.

"I was wondering if you'd be so kind as to give me and Elizaveta a ride home? It'd be a huge help." She smiled sweetly.

"So the queer ones found each other. How sweet." Ludwig grabbed Gilbert's shoulder and pushed him to the side.

"Gil… just shut up." He eyed the pair of girls curiously. Lili could've sworn she saw him wink at her. "We should be going, shouldn't we?"

Lili cast one final glance around the living room. The Asian exchange students were still making out, Ivan was holding Francis bridal style while Francis continued to sing, Alfred was arguing with Arthur about the use of the letter "U", and several other students were drunk off their asses. "Yes. We should be going."

* * *

 **I figured that, three chapters in, I may as well make a few announcements.**

 **I might get started on Journal Pour Le Ballet again, but it's going to be completely rewritten and broken up into several stories: one for each pairing, all set on the same timeline. Kinda like George Devalier's fics… except, you know, I'm not George Devalier.**

 **Sorry for the late update! Life got in the way, along with the fact that it's ill-advised to write romance stories when you're crushing on somebody.**

 **Happy late Thanksgiving to my fellow Americans! I'm thankful for my viewers, my reviewers, Italy's curl, Spain's ass, England's eyebrows, LietPol, and the fact that Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D) have finally kissed.**

 **God Bless America, Doitsu bless Hetalia, The endless void bless Night Vale, and I wish you all every happiness. I love you all.**

— **Lagoon**


	4. A Quarter For Your Smile

In the fifteen minutes that the house had been abandoned, the house had grown cold. Of course, it may have just seemed that way because of Elizaveta. She had started shivering ever since the three of them had gotten into Ludwig's car, and nothing seemed to be able to warm her up. By the time they arrived at Lili's house, she was already wearing both Lili's and Ludwig's coats.

"You can go on in," Lili had said, tossing the keys to her friend. She had nodded, shedding the coat belonging to the young man and tossing it into the back seat. Once she was gone, Lili leaned into the window on the passenger's side.

"I just wanted to thank you… for everything."

"It was barely anything. And Lili?"

"Hm?"

"I saw that gun. Don't pretend that it wasn't there. Are you sure that you're safe here?"

"Of course! He's going to look for _her,_ at _her_ house. By the time he even thinks to look here, he'll probably be too drunk to remember where I live."

He furrowed his brow. "That's not very encouraging, you know."

"Well… I'm just trying to be optimistic. We're going to be fine, Ludwig."

He sighed. "If you say so… oh, and one more thing."

She buried her hands in the pockets of her jeans. It was a shame that Liz had already left with her coat; she was freezing. "And what's that?"

"I had no idea that you actually plucked up the nerve to tell her how you felt. Good for you."

She blinked. _To tell her how I felt…?_ Oh. "Actually… that was just an act. We were trying to get Gil to leave her alone, but you can see how well that worked out."

He nodded. His expression was unreadable, something caught between deep thought and faint disappointment. "So your crush pretended to like you back… you know, that's a little cruel, when you think about it."

Lili could only shrug. "Well, it was something that needed to be done. I'll call you if I need any help, all right?"

"All right. And… good luck." He rolled up the window and pulled away, leaving Lili on the curb, still shivering slightly.

"Thanks… I'm going to need it."

After that, she had turned and made her way up to the front door. She had stood there for a few moments, resting her hand on the knob, wondering what would happen once she went inside. Elizaveta was waiting for her, she knew. She was waiting for her friend, who would have done anything to keep her safe. So after one final breath, she had pushed the door open and stepped inside, only to be greeted by the sight of the shivering girl, huddled on the floor, still wrapped in Lili's coat.

"Liz, you should really go and sit on the couch. I bet it'd be warmer than the floor… come on."

She held out her hand to help her friend up, but rather than standing, Liz took it and pulled Lili down to a kneeling position in front of her. She had forgotten how strong Liz was. "But I don't feel like moving…"

"Fine, at least let me get a blanket. You're cold as death." At this, her hand was released and she was free to grab a blanket off of the couch. Elizaveta was still in the same position, shivering and staring at the floor. Lili sat down next to her and threw the blanket over both of their shoulders. "You do know that the couch would be a lot more comfortable, don't—"

She was cut off by an arm that wrapped itself around her waist, just like it had in the closet… but this time, nobody was playing pretend. _It's just a friendly hug, Lili. Stop breathing so fast, or she'll notice something's wrong._

Slowly, she calmed herself and rested her head on Elizaveta's shoulder. When she spoke, Lili felt the warm vibrations against her cheek. "But I don't feel like moving now."

"We can't just sit on the floor all night and wait for Vash to come home. We should at least go up to my room, or on the couch…"

"I'm too cold to move."

"Well… it'll be warmer upstairs. Come on." She stood, pulling the blanket with her. Liz, however, didn't move. "Liz…" She only sat there, staring at her knees. "Please just come upstairs. Your legs are going to get sore if you stay like tha—"

"Please don't be mad at me."

She stood behind the girl and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Why would I be mad?"

The only response was a whispered, "Because I dragged you into this. It wasn't fair… I should've just…"

"Just what? Just gone along with what Gilbert wanted? Liz, I'd be mad if you did _that._ " The brunette slowly turned to face her. "All I ever wanted was for you to be alright."

Those perfect green eyes brimmed with tears. "My knees hurt."

"Then come with me.

Whether Liz was curled up on the hardwood floor or Lili's bed, it made no difference. She still shivered, and she still stared with empty eyes.

"He wasn't always like that."

"I know." Lili sat on the edge of the bed, with her elbows resting on her knees. "I remember." Of course she did. There had been a time where Gilbert Beilschmidt was happy… friendly, even, without a jealous bone in his body. He took Elizaveta out to dinner. He bought her a necklace once. He had even smiled at Lili. But somewhere along the line, he fell in love a little too much, and it stopped being love and became an obsession. This was when Lili had started saying "no".

"I should have known this would happen."

"Come on, there's no way you could've known that. I mean, he was going down a bad path, but… I didn't think it'd get _that_ bad."

"It wasn't just him, you know."

She sighed. "Then what else was it?"

"Who." A hand emerged from under the layers of blankets and grabbed Lili by the wrist.

"Fine, who was it?"

"I'm afraid that's classified."

"Liz… if you're not going to tell me, then don't bring it—" A sharp tug pulled her onto the bed next to her love. _Friend. Next to my friend._ She sighed. "Then don't bring it up."

"I just thought I'd let you know that it's not entirely his fault. He knew that there was somebody else before what happened last night, and I think that's why he—"

"Liz?"

"Hm?"

"You should get some sleep. It's been a long day."

"If you say so." She uncurled herself and wrapped her arms around Lili. "Goodnight."

"G-goodnight."

After a few minutes, the rhythm of Liz's breathing pulled Lili into a sweet, dreamless sleep. Liz, however, was not so lucky.

" _Gilbert… Gil."_

" _Elizaveta." His hands… his hands were on the hem of her shirt. This was wrong._

" _Wait. What are you…" But she was not allowed to finish the thought. His mouth crushed itself against hers, and she found herself pinned to the wall. "Mph…"_

 _His hands abandoned her shirt and took hold of her hips, while Gilbert moved on to her neck, trailing kisses, biting softly._

" _Stop."_

" _And why should I?" His gaze met hers, eyes the color of blood. They shone with lust._

" _B-because…."_

" _If you say it's because of her, I don't want to hear it."_

" _Well, maybe it is! Maybe it_ is _because of her. What are you going to do about it?" But that was the wrong question. She knew exactly what he was going to do about it. "Wait, no." But the damage was already done. He slapped her, and before she had the chance to recover, he had dragged her to her knees._

" _I'm going to make you forget about her."_

" _You can't make me do anything."_

 _Lips collided. Hands groped. Cries sounded. But no matter how loudly she screamed, there would be no help. She was wrong: Gilbert had power over her. But there was still one thing she could do._

Liz's eyes snapped open. The room was dark, and she was in an unfamiliar bed. For some reason, it felt like home. It smelled like Lili. Looking next to her, she could just make out a few locks of her honey-blonde hair. Yes, this was home—it was the place Lili was, and a place where Gil would never find her. "Lili. Are you still awake?"

The covers stirred. "I am now. Are you alright?"

Her face eventually surfaced from under the sea of blankets. "Yeah, fine, I just…" She sighed. She had run out of words, not that she had much to say to Lili to begin with, aside from _I'm sorry._ But there was still one more thing she needed to say.

"You just what?" Lili's voice was heavy from sleep. It was adorable. Before Elizaveta knew what she was doing, she leaned down and pressed her lips against Lili's, gently. This wasn't like the kiss in the closet, the one where they had both been pretending. Liz desperately wanted this one to be real. Kissing Lili was like kissing sunshine, and it felt like it belonged in the best kind of dream. It seemed that the girl agreed. She pushed Liz away and blinked for a few moments, blushing.

"That was a dream, wasn't it?"

"I think so," she whispered. "Go back to sleep." Lili nodded. If Liz could have seen her face through the darkness, she would have seen that she had fallen asleep smiling. Elizaveta fell asleep guilty.

* * *

Sorry for the late update! There hasn't been a lot of time to write, between holidays and food comas and homework. (Who even gives homework over winter break?) But yeah.

Oh! For those of you who are waiting for any updates on the Journal Pour Le Ballet project, I've mapped out the first story, finally. I've almost finished the first chapter. Be on the lookout for a story tagged with the word _JournalVerse._


	5. A Fortune For Your Courage

_This is a mess. I should've just fixed all of this when I had the chance. But…_ Liz leaned her elbow against a pillow, cradling her cheek in her palm. _When_ did _I have a chance? By the time I started feeling like this, Gil was already too far gone. I wish I could apologize, but she'd probably just brush it off again._

As though on cue, Lili's eyes fluttered open. "Hey… why're you staring at me like that?"

"Nothing, I just had a strange dream."

Lili mimicked Elizaveta's position. "A bad dream?"

She nodded. "I'll tell you about it later."

"Hm… I had a weird dream, too. But it wasn't bad."

"I think I know what it was." She felt a smile pulling at her lips.

"No, I don't think you do. And what's with that smile?"

"Was it about me?" She absentmindedly poked Lili's cheek.

"I don't have to tell you anything. Unless you're telepathic, but that wouldn't be fair."

"So be it… I guess I'll just have to guess, then." She poked a few more times before Lili grabbed her hand and carefully placed it back at her side.

"You know, I'd rather you didn't." Liz opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, a knock was heard at the door. "That's probably Vash. I guess things didn't go well over at Roderich's…" her alarm clock read 3:45. "He doesn't normally get home this early. I'll be right back."

"I'll come with you."

Lili had already swung her legs over the side of the bed. "No, don't worry. I'll just tell him that you decided to spend the night."

"If you say so…"

As Lili made her way downstairs and to the front of the house, the knocking grew louder and more insistent. Soon enough, a familiar voice accompanied it: "Open this goddamn door or I'll break it down! I know you're in there." She felt her blood run cold.

"Over my dead body," she whispered.

"Lili!" more knocking. It sounded like Gilbert was throwing his entire body against the door.

* * *

His voice found its way up to Lili's room, and Elizaveta froze. Slowly, she picked up Lili's phone and scrolled through her contacts until she found Ludwig.

The dial tone seemed to last forever until it was cut off by a groggy "Hallo…?"

"Ludwig. I'm sorry to wake you up, but Gilbert is here. I'm not sure if he's armed or not, but—" A gunshot sliced the air, and she shrieked. "Ludwig, I don't know if there's anything you can do, but if you can help, then _do it."_

She heard a bit of rustling on the other side, a thud, and then… silence. "Ludwig?" No answer. "Ludwig." He had hung up. "Beilschmidt…" she growled, although she was unsure which one she was talking about. Another gunshot sounded, and she dropped the phone and flew down the stairs in a dead sprint. The front door was decorated with two bullet holes, a third one joined them as soon as Elizaveta reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Lili, where…"

"Down here." The small voice came from behind the couch. "I'm sorry… I didn't think he'd look here."

"Please don't be." Another gunshot sounded, and Liz could have sworn she felt the bullet passing in front of her. She lunged past the door and collapsed next to Lili. "I called Ludwig. Hopefully there's something he can do."

"But he'll get himself hurt! He can't come!"

"And if we don't do anything, we're going to get ourselves killed."

Neither of them said a word for a long while. As long as Gilbert threw himself against the front door and screeched obscenities at the people inside, no words could give them comfort. Well, there were a few words. They came fifteen long minutes later.

"Gilbert, what the hell are you doing?"

The voice was deep and steady, even if it dripped with anger.

"What does it look like? I'm trying to get Liz back."

"Well, it looks to me like you're damaging my friend's property and scaring the hell out of her. Why don't you go home, hm?"

Laughter. "Why would I do that? The little bitch is probably rubbing herself all over my _girlfriend_ right now, and I can't just stand by and let it happen."

"Gilbert—"

"Don't _touch_ me!"

Gunfire. A groan. Retreating footsteps.

"Please tell me… you're there…"

Lili didn't remember standing up or running over to the door or even unlatching it and opening it. All she remembered was clapping eyes on the blood that was spreading across Ludwig's shoulder, the anguish on his face, and the ground tilting just enough to bring her to her knees.

* * *

Apologies for the shortness! But I'm back. I'm not swamped with summer homework this year, so you can expect to hear from me at least once a week. Thank you so much for waiting! Man, it's been an interesting year. Ah, well. That just means more stuff to write about!


	6. Your Love is Priceless

It was Elizaveta who called the paramedics. While she waited for them to arrive, she also called Vash. At first she was afraid he wouldn't be coming: His voice was deep and breathy, and another voice in the background had urged him to hang up. But as soon as she explained the situation, he said he'd be over in five minutes.

It didn't take much for the court to find Gilbert guilty of second-degree attempted murder and rape. The gun he had used, and dropped on the porch as he ran away, was covered with his fingerprints. His sentence was long enough that he wouldn't be released from jail until Ludwig, Lili and Elizaveta were a few years out of college. It seemed a bit extreme, but all three of them were glad to have him gone.

With the exception of visiting Ludwig, Vash didn't let Lili out of the house at all in the few days following the incident. She assured him that she was fine, and that she would start to fall behind in school if she missed much more, but he would have none of it. He was obsessed with the notion that the world was a dangerous place for his sister, even though the person who had made it dangerous in the first place was behind bars.

He would have kept her in that house for the rest of the semester, if Elizaveta and Roderich hadn't teamed up. The plan had been simple: Roderich would spend the night with Vash, and the two would do whatever they pleased until the wee hours of the morning. With any luck, Vash would sleep through any noise that Lili made as she left the house in the morning. Once he woke, Roderich would explain to him that Elizaveta was keeping his sister safe, and if Vash made any move to go and bring her back home, Roderich would persuade him to stay. There were many ways of doing that.

So in that respect, everything was fine. Lili and Liz were safe, and with Feliciano's help, Ludwig healed completely. But there were still a few things that still needed to be resolved.

* * *

 _Vash replaced the door,_ Liz noted. _Bummer. The bullet holes gave it character._ She knocked, and Vash answered it. "Oh. It's you."

She grinned. "Don't sound so enthused. I'm just here to see your sister."

He shrugged. "She's out in the garden."

"Thank you!" She pushed past him and trotted through the house and out the back, to Lili's garden.

The garden wasn't one of your elaborate greenhouse-style gardens with rows and rows of flowers and herbs and a fountain, but it still wasn't all that shabby. There were a few herbs and vegetables, and at the center there was a small bench with a camelia bush on either side. Lili was on that bench, with her hands on her knees and her eyes on her feet.

"I brought you something."

The girl looked up, startled, and Elizaveta saw the puffiness in her eyes. Without hesitation, she dropped her purse on the ground and rushed over, enveloping her in a hug.

"I'm so selfish." Lili rested her head against Liz's shoulder.

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am. Gil had been hurting you all this time, and all I could think about was…" She trailed off.

"Was?"

"Nothing."

"I'll leave unless you tell me." She loosened her grip on Lili, just a bit, to show that she was serious.

"I'd rather talk about something else."

"Like what?"

She took a deep, shuddering breath. "Like that night, before he showed up. That was real, wasn't it?"

Liz's lips tingled at the memory. "I'm so sorry for that. It shouldn't have happened and I don't even know why I did something like that…" Her arms fell away and she took a few steps back.

Lili grabbed her arm, though. "Please, don't be. I just wanted to know it you meant anything by it, that's all. Or if you were still acting."

Eyes darting back to her purse on the ground, she sighed. "I was never acting."

"Good, because neither was I."

Silence.

"So…" Lili pushed a few bangs off of her forehead. "What does this make us?"

Liz shrugged. "Whatever we want to be…?"

A grin formed on Lili's face, but she turned her eyes back to her feet. "I have a few ideas, then. Wait." She jerked her head back up to meet Liz's eyes. "Didn't you say you brought something?"

"Oh, right!" She backed up and snatched up her purse, digging around in it for a small box, which she pressed into Lili's hands. She took the spot next to Lili as she tentatively untied the ribbon and lifted the lid away.

"It's gorgeous…" Inside was a simple silver pendant, shaped like a lily.

"Consider it a thank-you gift."

"But you don't need to thank me for anything."

"Then… an early birthday present?" hands shaking, Elizaveta took the necklace out of the box and fastened it around Lili's neck.

"My birthday's not for another two months."

"Then what do _you_ want it to be?"

"Maybe it could just be a prelude to this?" Without warning, Lili shifted her face just a few inches forward, where her lips hesitated just millimeters away from Elizaveta's.

"That works," she murmured. She closed the distance between them at last, with all her secrets finally out in the open.

There would be no more secrets, she vowed, for a long, long time.

* * *

 **Well it's not the** _ **best**_ **, but it could be a lot worse. I'm just thankful that it's finished. Onto the next project!**


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